Pressure-applying garment for animals

ABSTRACT

A garment to reduce an animal&#39;s anxiety, fearfulness, overexcitement, or a combination thereof. The garment may include a central portion, flaps extending from opposite sides of the central portion, and, in some cases, a cinching member that extends from a central area of the central portion. The flaps may be fastened together around the chest and stomach of the animal, and the cinching member may be fastened to the central portion or one or more flaps to tighten the garment further, applying pressure to reduce anxiety, fearfulness, or over-excitement. Straps may be provided to secure the garment to the animal&#39;s neck. One material that may be used in making the garment is a fabric made of 55% cotton, 35% polyester, and 10% spandex. The animal may generally be any animal with four legs, for example, a dog or cat, or two arms and two legs, for example, a monkey.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/218,620, filed Jun. 19, 2009, the contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Animals may suffer from various types of anxiety, fearfulness, oroverexcitement. Such feelings or behaviors are common problems for dogs,for example, and can present many symptoms and severity levels. On theless extreme end of the spectrum, a fear of thunder may cause the dog toshake and cling to her owner. On the other extreme, the fear may causepanicked running, destructive chewing, defecating indoors, seizures, orother erratic behavior. Additional known symptoms include panting,drooling, whining, barking, hiding, seeking tight spaces, trembling,scratching, not eating, and pacing. Some owners are not aware thatnegative behavior they are seeing is actually caused by anxiety. Inaddition to noises, other sources of anxiety may include separation fromowner(s), travel, crating, strangers, other dogs, and much more.

Determining what causes a dog's anxiety may be difficult or impossibleto pinpoint. The start of the anxiety may in some cases be traced to atraumatic incident such as being too close to a fireworks show or tooclose to a lightning strike and the subsequent thunder clap. However, adog may have a genetic predisposition for noise or other types ofanxiety. Studies have shown that some breeds, such as Collies, GoldenRetrievers, and German Shepherds, have a higher incidence of noiseanxiety. For some dogs, noise anxiety gradually appears and worsens asthey age for no apparent reason, while for others, noise anxiety appearsas a puppy and stays with them.

There are several known treatments to consider for giving relief to adog from anxiety. For example, for noise anxiety, the owner may changethe dog's environment with “common sense” attempts to give the dogcomfort. Efforts may include creating a safe haven for the dog, such asa blanket-covered crate, finding a location that will reduce the noiselevel, or turning on music or the television to help mask the sound ofthe problem noise. These efforts, however, typically do not showdramatic results, but they can help to reduce symptoms.

A second treatment approach is behavior modification. For example,desensitization is one of the most common behavior modifications triedfor noise anxiety. In a controlled environment, the dog is exposed to alow level of the noise. As she becomes accustomed to the noise, thevolume is increased over time until she learns to tolerate a high levelof noise. This approach has limitations in practice; it is very timeconsuming, in some cases it is not effective because many dogs recognizethe difference between artificial and real events, and if it iseffective, the dog will likely require ongoing periodic treatments.

A third treatment approach is medication. There are a variety ofprescription medications that a veterinarian may suggest. Some areadministered on a regular basis for the life of the dog (Paroxetine orFluoxetine), while others are given only at the time of an anxiety event(valium). Sometimes a combination of drugs is used. Any of these optionstend to be relatively expensive when accounting for the veterinarianvisits and the drug costs, and the medications pose a risk of unwantedphysical side effects that may be severe.

A final form of treatment is a “pressure wrap.” A pressure wrap ismaterial that wraps around the dog's torso, in particular the chest andsometimes the stomach, to provide a constant, gentle pressure. It isuncertain why wraps are effective, but anxiety experts such as Dr.Temple Grandin suggest that pressure has a calming effect on the nervoussystem. Examples of using pressure to calm anxiety include pressureshirts for people with autism, squeeze chutes for cattle, pressureshirts and weighted vests for children with certain behavioraldisorders, and swaddling infants. This treatment has been proven veryeffective for many dogs. Some wraps are homemade, for example, out of anappropriately sized t-shirt, but wraps can be difficult to put on andget the desired fit. Some conventional pressure wraps lack ease inapplying the wrap and may be difficult to adjust to the right pressure.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one embodiment, a garment is provided for an animalhaving a first pair of appendages and a second pair of appendages, andfurther having a mid-body between the first pair of appendages and thesecond pair of appendages. The garment includes a central portion, afirst flap, and a second flap. The central portion has a longitudinalaxis and a front end, a first side extending laterally in a firstdirection from the longitudinal axis, and a second side extendinglaterally in a second direction from the longitudinal axis in adirection opposite the first direction. The first flap extends from thefirst side of the central portion, and the second flap extends from thesecond side of the central portion. The flaps are adapted to extendaround the animal's mid-body and fasten to each other such that thecentral portion and fastened flaps form a shape conforming to theoutside of the animal's mid-body, and the garment applies pressure tothe animal adequate to reduce anxiety, fearfulness, overexcitement, or acombination thereof in the animal.

An embodiment may further provide that the central portion has a frontend adapted to be positioned proximate to the head of the animal, and arear end opposite the front end. A pair of straps may extend from thefront end of the central portion in spaced relation, and the straps maybe adapted to extend around the animal's neck and fasten to each other.

In accordance with another embodiment, a garment is provided for ananimal having a first pair of appendages and a second pair ofappendages, and further having a mid-body between the first pair ofappendages and the second pair of appendages. The garment includes acentral portion, a first flap, a second flap, and a cinching member. Thecentral portion has a longitudinal axis and a front end, a first sideextending laterally in a first direction from the longitudinal axis, anda second side extending laterally in a second direction from thelongitudinal axis in a direction opposite the first direction. The firstflap extends from the first side of the central portion, and the secondflap extends from the second side of the central portion. The cinchingmember has a proximate end attached to the central portion, the firstflap, or the second flap and extending to a free distal end. The flapsare adapted to extend around the animal's mid-body and fasten to eachother such that the central portion and fastened flaps form a shapeconforming to the outside of the animal's mid-body to form a sleeve. Thecinching member is adapted to extend at least partially around thesleeve and to fasten to the central portion, the first flap, the secondflap, or a combination thereof to further tighten the garment to applypressure to the animal.

In accordance with another embodiment, a garment is provided for ananimal having a first pair of appendages and a second pair ofappendages, and further having a mid-body between the first pair ofappendages and the second pair of appendages. The garment includes acentral portion, a first flap, and a second flap. The central portionhas a longitudinal axis and a front end, a first side extendinglaterally in a first direction from the longitudinal axis, and a secondside extending laterally in a second direction from the longitudinalaxis in a direction opposite the first direction. The first flap extendsfrom the first side of the central portion, and the second flap extendsfrom the second side of the central portion. The flaps are adapted toextend around the animal's mid-body and fasten to each other such thatthe central portion and fastened flaps form a shape conforming to theoutside of the animal's mid-body. The central portion, the first flap,and the second flap are made of a fabric including approximately from 5%to 25% spandex to apply resilient pressure to the animal.

In accordance with another embodiment, a garment is provided for ananimal having a first pair of appendages and a second pair ofappendages, and further having a mid-body between the first pair ofappendages and the second pair of appendages. The garment includes acentral portion that has a longitudinal axis and a front end, a firstside extending laterally in a first direction from the longitudinalaxis, and a second side extending laterally in a second direction fromthe longitudinal axis in a direction opposite the first direction. Meansfor operatively connecting the first side and second side of the centralportion together around the animal to form a sleeve are also provided.The garment applies pressure to the animal adequate to reduce anxiety,fearfulness, overexcitement, or a combination thereof in the animal.

In accordance with another embodiment, a method of reducing anxiety,fearfulness, overexcitement, or a combination thereof, in an animal isprovided. The animal has a first pair of appendages and a second pair ofappendages, with a mid-body between the first pair of appendages and thesecond pair of appendages. The method includes placing a garment on themid-body of the animal. The garment includes a central portion, a firstflap, and a second flap. The central portion has a longitudinal axis anda front end, a first side extending laterally in a first direction fromthe longitudinal axis, and a second side extending laterally in a seconddirection from the longitudinal axis in a direction opposite the firstdirection. The first flap extends from the first side of the centralportion, and the second flap extends from the second side of the centralportion. The method further includes wrapping the first flap under theanimal's chest, stomach, or a combination thereof to overlap the secondflap. The first flap is secured to the second flap such that the garmentapplies pressure to the animal adequate to reduce anxiety, fearfulness,overexcitement, or a combination thereof in the animal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of embodiments of a pressure-applyinggarment for animals and associated methods, reference should now be hadto the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings and describedbelow. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a pressure-applyinggarment as worn by an exemplary animal.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a first embodiment of the pressure-applyinggarment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is bottom plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a second embodiment of thepressure-applying garment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is bottom plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 4.

FIGS. 6A-6D are perspective views of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showingvarious stages of putting the garment on an exemplary animal.

DESCRIPTION

Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to betaken as a limitation on the embodiments described. For example, wordssuch as “top”, “bottom”, “front,” “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “right,”“horizontal,” “vertical,” “upward,” and “downward” merely describe theconfiguration shown in the figures. Indeed, the referenced componentsmay be oriented in any direction and the terminology, therefore, shouldbe understood as encompassing such variations unless specifiedotherwise. Throughout this disclosure, where a process or method isshown or described, the steps of the method may be performed in anyorder or simultaneously, unless it is clear from the context that onestep depends on another being performed first.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designatecorresponding or similar elements throughout the several views, anembodiment of a pressure wrap garment 20 is shown in FIGS. 1-3. Althoughin FIG. 1 the garment is shown on a dog, the garment 20 may be appliedto nearly any type of animal with four legs, or two arms and two legs.For example, in addition to a dog, the garment 20 may be worn by a cator a monkey. This embodiment of the garment 20, 20 a includes a centralportion 24 having a longitudinal axis A-A, a left strap 26 and a rightstrap 28 extending from the front of the central portion 24approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis A-A, a long flap 30extending from the right side of the central portion 24 substantiallyperpendicular to the longitudinal axis A-A, a short flap 32 extendingfrom the left side of the central portion 24 substantially perpendicularto the longitudinal axis A-A, and a top flap or cinching member 34 thatis attached to the central portion 24 substantially along a longitudinalaxis A-A of the central portion. The top of the garment 20 a is shown inFIG. 2, and the bottom of the garment 20 a is shown in FIG. 3. As wornby a dog 40, the left strap 26 and the right strap 28 go around thedog's neck and fasten to each other, with the bottom of the right strap28 going over the top of the left strap 26. The long flap 30 goes aroundthe dog's chest and stomach to fasten to the short flap 32, with thebottom of the long flap 30 going over the top of the short flap 32. Thecinching member 34 folds down to fasten to the top of the long flap 30.Alternatively, the cinching member 34 could fold down to fasten to thecentral portion 24.

In the embodiment shown, hook and loop fasteners, such as Velcro®(VELCRO is a registered trademark of Velcro Industries B.V.), are usedto removably attach the parts of the garment to each other. The hookmaterial is designated at 42, and the loop material is designated at 44,but the materials may be switched so long as a hook surface meets a loopsurface when the material is brought together. Other fasteners may beused as recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art, such as a seriesof buttons or snaps, or a combination of webbed straps and clips.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show another embodiment of a pressure-applying garment 20b. The garment 20 b is constructed similarly to the garment 20 a ofFIGS. 2 and 3, but includes on the left strap 26 on the top surface(FIG. 4) a portion near the end of the strap that is hook material 42,while on the bottom surface (FIG. 5) of the right strap 28 a portionthat is loop material 44. Including both materials 42, 44 on the matingstraps assist in maintaining the straps around the animal's neck withoutsagging. The embodiments of the garments 20 a, 20 b of FIGS. 2 and 3 andFIGS. 4 and 5 are further embodiments of the garment 20 embodiment ofFIG. 1.

The material used for the garment 20 may have a composition that ranges,for example, from 5% to 25% spandex. The remainder of the material maybe or include, for example, cotton and polyester. In one embodiment, thefabric may be made of 10% spandex, 55% cotton, and 35% polyester, or maybe made of material of approximately that composition. Other fabrics andcombinations of materials may be used as recognized by one of ordinaryskill in the art, so long as the material exhibits a degree ofelasticity that provides an expandable and flexible, yet snug, fit withpressure adequate to relieve anxiety, fearfulness, overexcitement, or acombination thereof, in the animal, and resilience that allows thematerial to return approximately to its original size when removed fromthe animal. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, the central portion 24,straps 26, 28, long flap 30, and short flap 32 are made of one piece ofmaterial, with two layers sewn together continuously along theperiphery. The cinching member 34 is sewn to the central portion 24along one edge of the cinching member 34. One alternative configurationto the cinching member 34 may include the use of fabric straps, webbedstraps, or elastic bands with clips or other connection means.

The garment 20 may be applied to an animal as shown in FIGS. 6A-6D.First, as shown in FIG. 6A, the garment 20 is placed on a back of thedog 40. Next, in FIG. 6B the long flap 30 is wrapped 50 under the dog'schest, stomach, and up the dog's left side and is secured with fastenersto the short flap 32 to achieve a comfortable, snug fit around the dog'smid-body, being the portion of the body between the dog's front and rearlegs. The cinching member 34 is then wrapped 52 down onto the long flap30 and is secured with fasteners in FIG. 6C, with some additionaltension imparted on the garment to apply additional pressure to the dog,which will still be comfortable for the dog and give the dog a sense ofsecurity. As shown in FIG. 6D, the straps 26, 28 may then be wrapped 54around the front of the dog 40 and secured with fasteners. If desired,the straps 26, 28 may be left attached when removing the garment 20 tosave the step of fastening them the next time the garment 20 is put onthe dog 40.

Although the embodiments described above have been shown and describedin considerable detail with respect to only a few exemplary embodimentsthereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that it isnot intended to be limited to these embodiments since variousmodifications, omissions and additions may be made to the disclosedembodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings andadvantages. The directions in which the flaps are folded could differfrom those shown and the lengths of the flaps may vary. For example, thelong flap 30 and the short flap 32 could be of equal length and fastenon top of the animal's back rather then on the lower side. The straps26, 28, the cinching member 34, or both, may be omitted. Accordingly, itis intended to cover all such modifications, omission, additions andequivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of apressure-applying garment and associated methods as defined by thefollowing claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses areintended to cover the structures described herein as performing therecited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalentstructures. Thus, although a nail and a screw may not be structuralequivalents in that a nail employs a cylindrical surface to securewooden parts together, whereas a screw employs a helical surface, in theenvironment of fastening wooden parts, a nail and a screw may beequivalent structures.

1. A garment for an animal having a first pair of appendages, a secondpair of appendages, and a neck, the animal having a mid-body between thefirst pair of appendages and the second pair of appendages, the garmentcomprising: a central portion having a longitudinal axis and including afront end, a rear end opposite the front end, a first side extendinglaterally in a first direction from the longitudinal axis and forming aportion of a perimeter of the garment, and a second side extendinglaterally in a second direction from the longitudinal axis and forming aportion of the perimeter of the garment, the second direction oppositethe first direction; a first flap extending in the first direction fromthe first side of the central portion, the first flap including a freedistal end and two opposing edges that with the free distal end of thefirst flap form a portion of the perimeter of the garment; a second flapextending in the second direction from the second side of the centralportion, the second flap including a free distal end and two opposingedges that with the free distal end of the second flap form a portion ofthe perimeter of the garment; a first strap extending from the front endof the central portion, the first strap including a free distal end andtwo opposing edges that with the free distal end of the first strap forma portion of the perimeter of the garment; and a second strap extendingfrom the front end of the central portion laterally spaced in the seconddirection from the first strap, the second strap including a free distalend and two opposing edges that with the free distal end of the secondstrap form a portion of the perimeter of the garment, wherein when thegarment is worn by an animal the first flap and the second flap extendaround the mid-body of the animal and fasten to each other such that thecentral portion and fastened first and second flaps form a shapeconforming to the outside of the mid-body of the animal, and the frontend of the central portion is positioned proximate to the head of theanimal, wherein the first strap and the second strap each have an insidesurface adapted to contact the animal and an outside surface adapted toface away from the animal, wherein the first strap and the second strapare extendible around the neck of the animal and fasten to each otherwith hook and loop fasteners, wherein the inside surface of the firststrap includes a hook section of fastener and a loop section offastener, and wherein the outside surface of the second strap includes ahook section of fastener and a loop section of fastener, and wherein thegarment, when worn, applies pressure to the animal adequate to reduceanxiety, fearfulness, overexcitement, or a combination thereof in theanimal.
 2. The garment of claim 1, further comprising a cinching flaphaving a proximate end attached to the central portion, the first flap,or the second flap and extending to a free distal end, and wherein thecinching flap extends at least partially around the shape formed by thecentral portion and the fastened first and second flaps that conforms tothe mid-body of the animal and fastens to the central portion, the firstflap, the second flap, or a combination thereof to further tighten thegarment to apply pressure to the animal.
 3. The garment of claim 2,wherein the proximate end of the cinching flap is attached generallyalong the longitudinal axis of the central portion.
 4. The garment ofclaim 2, wherein the central portion, the first flap, the second flap,and the cinching flap comprise a fabric that when stretched providesresiliency adequate to reduce anxiety, fearfulness, overexcitement, or acombination thereof in the animal.
 5. The garment of claim 2, whereinthe central portion, the first flap, the second flap, and the cinchingflap comprise a fabric comprising from approximately 5% to 25% spandex.6. The garment of claim 2, wherein the central portion, the first flap,the second flap, and the cinching flap comprise a fabric comprisingapproximately 10% spandex, 55% cotton, and 35% polyester.
 7. The garmentof claim 2, wherein when the cinching flap is fastened to the centralportion, the first flap, the second flap, or a combination thereof, thecinching flap overlaps and covers the free distal end of the first flap.8. The garment of claim 1, wherein the hook section of fastener on theinside surface of the first strap is interposed between the free distalend of the first strap and the loop section of fastener on the insidesurface of the first strap, and wherein the hook section of fastener onthe outside surface of the second strap is interposed between the freedistal end of the second strap and the loop section of fastener on theoutside surface of the first strap.
 9. A garment for an animal having afirst pair of appendages, a second pair of appendages, and a neck, theanimal having a mid-body between the first pair of appendages and thesecond pair of appendages, the garment comprising: a central portionhaving a longitudinal axis and including a front end, a rear endopposite the front end, a first side extending laterally in a firstdirection from the longitudinal axis and forming a portion of aperimeter of the garment, and a second side extending laterally in asecond direction from the longitudinal axis and forming a portion of theperimeter of the garment, the second direction opposite the firstdirection; a first flap extending in the first direction from the firstside of the central portion, the first flap including a free distal endand two opposing edges that with the free distal end of the first flapform a portion of the perimeter of the garment; a second flap extendingin the second direction from the second side of the central portion, thesecond flap including a free distal end and two opposing edges that withthe free distal end of the second flap form a portion of the perimeterof the garment; a first strap extending from the front end of thecentral portion, the first strap including a free distal end and twoopposing edges that with the free distal end of the first strap form aportion of the perimeter of the garment; a second strap extending fromthe front end of the central portion laterally spaced in the seconddirection from the first strap, the second strap including a free distalend and two opposing edges that with the free distal end of the secondstrap form a portion of the perimeter of the garment; and a cinchingflap having a proximate end attached to the central portion, the firstflap, or the second flap and extending to a free distal end, whereinwhen the garment is worn by an animal the first flap and the second flapextend around the mid-body of the animal and fasten to each other suchthat the central portion and fastened first and second flaps form ashape conforming to the outside of the mid-body of the animal, and thecinching flap extends at least partially around the shape formed by thecentral portion and the fastened first and second flaps that conforms tothe mid-body of the animal and fastens to the central portion, the firstflap, the second flap, or a combination thereof, and the front end ofthe central portion is positioned proximate to the head of the animal,wherein the first strap and the second strap each have an inside surfaceadapted to contact the animal and an outside surface adapted to faceaway from the animal, wherein the first strap and the second strap areextendible around the neck of the animal and fasten to each other withhook and loop fasteners, wherein the inside surface of the first strapincludes a hook section of fastener and a loop section of fastener, andwherein the outside surface of the second strap includes a hook sectionof fastener and a loop section of fastener, and the garment, when worn,applies pressure to the animal.
 10. The garment of claim 9, wherein theproximate end of the cinching flap is attached generally along thelongitudinal axis of the central portion.
 11. The garment of claim 9,wherein the garment applies pressure to the animal adequate to reduceanxiety, fearfulness, overexcitement, or a combination thereof in theanimal.
 12. The garment of claim 9, wherein the central portion, thefirst flap, the second flap, and the cinching flap comprise a fabriccomprising from approximately 5% to 25% spandex.
 13. The garment ofclaim 9, wherein the hook section of fastener on the inside surface ofthe first strap is interposed between the free distal end of the firststrap and the loop section of fastener on the inside surface of thefirst strap, and wherein the hook section of fastener on the outsidesurface of the second strap is interposed between the free distal end ofthe second strap and the loop section of fastener on the outside surfaceof the first strap.
 14. The garment of claim 9, wherein when thecinching flap is fastened to the central portion, the first flap, thesecond flap, or a combination thereof, the cinching flap overlaps andcovers the free distal end of the first flap.
 15. The garment of claim9, wherein each of the first flap, the second flap, and the cinchingflap has inside surfaces adapted to be adjacent to the animal, andoutside surfaces opposite the inside surfaces adapted to face away fromthe animal, wherein the second flap outside surface includes at leastone first strip oriented in a first direction of one of hook fastenersor loop fasteners, and the first flap inside surface includes at leastone second strip oriented in a second direction of the other of hookfasteners or loop fasteners, wherein when the first flap overlaps thesecond flap, the first strip and the second strip are substantiallyperpendicular to each other such that the first flap is fastened to thesecond flap.
 16. The garment of claim 9, wherein each of the first flap,the second flap, and the cinching flap has inside surfaces adapted to beadjacent to the animal, and outside surfaces opposite the insidesurfaces adapted to face away from the animal, wherein the first flapoutside surface includes at least one first strip oriented in a firstdirection of one of hook fasteners or loop fasteners, and the cinchingflap inside surface includes at least one second strip oriented in asecond direction of the other of hook fasteners or loop fasteners,wherein when the cinching flap overlaps the first flap, the first stripand the second strip are substantially perpendicular to each other suchthat the first flap is fastened to the second flap.